ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
India-France Business Summit, commemorating 25 years of India-France Friendship to be held on 11th April 2023
Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, and Textiles, Shri Piyush Goyal along with Mr Olivier Becht, Minister delegate of Foreign Trade, Attractiveness and French Nationals Abroad, Government of France, will co-chair the India France Business Summit, commemorating 25 years of India-France Friendship on the 11th of April 2023. The Summit will focus on themes including building a green future, emerging technologies, defence cooperation and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific regions. The Minister is also scheduled to meet with French business leaders across various sectors and will attend a CEOs roundtable. The Minister will be paying an official visit to France and Italy from 11th to 13th April 2023. The Minister would be accompanied with a delegation of top Indian CEOs.
The Minister along with French Minister Mr. Olivier Becht will participate in an event that will showcase India’s cultural heritage and soft power and expected to witness participation of 600+ dignitaries from the French government, the Indian Business Diaspora in France and members of French business community. The Minister will also be interacting with members of the Indian community in Paris.
The Minister will later travel to Rome, Italy where he would meet H.E. Antonio Tajani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation followed by a networking dinner with dignitaries from the Government and industry. He is scheduled to meet top Italian CEOs for bilateral meetings followed by CEOs Interactive Business Session, where 35 CEOs are likely to participate. This would be followed by a meeting with H.E. Adolfo Urso, Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy, who would also interact with Indian CEOs.
The visit is expected to impart further momentum to bilateral relations with India’s key business partners in the European region.
Vice President's Secretariat
The Vice President greets the Nation on the auspicious occasion of Id-ul-Zuha
The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has wished the people on the auspicious occasion of Id-ul-Zuha.
Following is the full text of the message -
“I extend my warm greetings and good wishes to the people of our country on the auspicious occasion of Id-ul-Zuha.
Id-ul-Zuha is a celebration of unswerving devotion to God and the boundless compassion and love the Almighty has for His creation.
The festival inspires us to inculcate empathy, practice sacrifice and promote peace and universal brotherhood.
As India and the world continue to fight a relentless battle against the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, we have been forced to celebrate almost all of our traditional festivals, which were otherwise celebrated with great splendour, at home in a more subdued manner.
Under these circumstances, we have to be content with a modest celebration and strictly adhere to the safety protocols of wearing masks, practicing physical distancing and personal hygiene during all our celebrations.
May this Id-ul-Zuha bring peace, harmony and prosperity in our lives, country and the world.”
Ministry of Coal
Coal Ministry Expects Operationalization of 58 Coal Blocks During 2022-23; Targets 138.28 Million Ton Coal Production
Companies Issued with Show Cause Notice for Not Ensuring Timely Coal Production
Ministry Holds Regular Review Meeting with State and Central Agencies
The Ministry of Coal has allocated coal blocks for captive end use and sale of coal / commercial mining. 85.32 Million Tonnes of coal has been produced in FY-2021-22 from the 47 operational coal blocks. As against the scheduled production of 203.67 Million Tonnes for the FY 2022-23, it is expected that a total 58 coal blocks would become operational with an expected production of around 138.28 Million Tonnes.
Show Cause Notices are issued from time to time to the companies which are not adhering to the timelines prescribed in their agreements for timely operationalisation of coal blocks or for non-achievement of targeted coal production. A Scrutiny Committee has been constituted by the Ministry to consider the show cause notices and replies received from allocattees on case to case basis and recommend penalty in cases the delays are attributable to the allocattees.
The Scrutiny Committee, in its 17th meeting held on recently has reviewed cases of 24 coal mines – and recommended proportionate appropriation of Performance Security in four cases i.e Tenughat Vidyut Nigam Limited , Topworth Urja & Metals Ltd. , Ultratech Cements Ltd  and National Thermal Power Corporation Limited  due to delay on the part of allocattees. Recommendations of the Scrutiny Committee have been accepted by the Government and appropriation orders are being issued.
Subsequent to the meeting of the Scrutiny Committee, further show cause notices were issued to 16 companies for 22 coal blocks, viz.
- Hindalco Industries Limited
- National Thermal Power Corporation Limited 
- JSW Steel Limited
- Trimula Industries Limited
- Damodar valley corporation
- West Bengal Power Development Corporation
- Topworth Urja and Metals Ltd
- B.S. Ispat Limited
- Indrajit Power Private Ltd
- Birla Corp. Ltd 
- Sunflag Iron and Steel Company Limited
- Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd 
- Power plus Traders Pvt. Ltd
- Vedanta Limited 
- National Aluminium Company Limited
- EMIL Mines and Mineral Resources Limited .
In addition to the regular follow up, review meetings are also being held by Ministry of coal with the blocks allocattees and the respective State / Central agencies like MoEF&CC, State Mining Departments, State Revenue Departments, State Forest Departments, etc. for early operationalization of the blocks and to enhance the production from operational blocks. A Project Management Unit has also been appointed by Ministry for handholding of allocattees in obtaining the statutory clearances for early operationalization of coal blocks.
Ministry of Home Affairs
4th Meeting of the BRICS Anti-Drug Working Group held
Communiqué adopted reaffirming commitment of the five member states to the International Anti-drug conventions
India called for nodal points to enable real-time information sharing among BRICS nations
Meeting focused on misuse of darknet and other advanced technologies for drug trafficking
The 4th Session of the BRICS Anti-Drug Working Group comprising of Brazil, Russia, China, South Africa and India was held this week. The Indian delegation was led by Shri Rakesh Asthana, Director General, Narcotics Control Bureau and comprised of Smt. B. Radhika, Deputy Director General , NCB, Ms. Vrindaba Gohil, First Secretary , Embassy of India, Moscow, Dr. Vaibhav Tandale, Under Secretary , MEA and Shri KPS Malhotra, Deputy Director , NCB. This year’s session, held over video conference on August 12, 2020, was chaired by Russia.
Fruitful exchange of opinions concerning the drug situation in the BRICS states, the international and regional trends of illegal trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors, as well as the impact of various internal and external factors on the situation took place during the summit. The common points emerged during the discussions include need for real time information sharing among the member states and need to curb increased drug trafficking through maritime routes. Misuse of darknet and other advanced technologies for drug trafficking was one of the key focal areas of the meeting.
The member nations adopted a communiqué that covered all the points discussed in the meeting.
BRICS is an informal group of states comprising the Federative Republic of Brazil, the Russian Federation, the Republic of India, the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of South Africa. The growing economic might of BRICS countries, their significance as one of the main driving forces of global economic development, their substantial population and abundant natural resources form the foundation of their influence on the international scene and are the driving forces behind the grouping. Among other areas of collaboration, matters pertaining to drug trafficking is an important area of cooperation among the BRICS member states.
Ministry of Steel
Production of Sail
Steel Authority of India Limited  had undertaken Modernization and Expansion of its five Integrated Steel Plants at Bhilai , Bokaro , Rourkela , Durgapur , Burnpur  and Special Steel Plant at Salem  to enhance its Crude Steel capacity from 12.8 Million Tonne Per Annum  to 21.4 MTPA. The Modernization and Expansion at the above Steel Plants has been completed and various facilities are under operation, stabilization and ramp up. The Plant-wise details of Crude Steel production capacity  for major Steel Plants of SAIL are given below:-

|
|
Plant
|
|
Before Modernization and Expansion
|
|
After Modernization
and Expansion
|
|
Bhilai Steel Plant
|
|
3.93
|
|
7.0
|
|
Durgapur Steel Plant
|
|
1.8
|
|
2.2
|
|
Rourkela Steel Plant
|
|
1.9
|
|
4.2
|
|
Bokaro Steel Plant
|
|
4.36
|
|
4.61
|
|
IISCO Steel Plant
|
|
0.5
|
|
2.5
|
|
Salem Steel Plant
|
|
0
|
|
0.18
|
|
Alloy Steel Plant
|
|
0.23
|
|
0.50
|
|
Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel Plant
|
|
0.12
|
|
0.20
|
|
Total
|
|
12.8
|
|
21.4
This information was given by the Union Minister for Steel Shri Dharmendra Pradhan in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.
Prime Minister's Office
PM addresses 10th Episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat 2.0’
Appeals to citizens to adhere to lockdown
Addressing the 10th Episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat 2.0’, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi apologized for taking tough decisions, reiterated that the battle against COVID 19 required some tough decisions.
He said it was important to keep the people of India safe and expressed confidence that together India will defeat COVID-19.
“The Lockdown will keep the people as well as their families safe and those who are not following the rule of isolation will be in trouble” he cautioned.
Sharing his thoughts in Mann Ki Baat today, the Prime Minister said he feels sorry for the hardships being faced by all, especially the poor owing to the lockdown.He empathized with the people and said in order to battle Corona in a country of 130 crore people such as India, there was no other option. He added that such strong measures were resorted to because it was a situation of life or death, looking at what the world was going through.
Quoting an adage “Evam Evam Vikar, api tarunha Saadhyate Sukham” meaning, “an illness and its scourge should be nipped in the bud itself,” he stressed later on, when it becomes incurable, treatment is very difficult. He said the Coronavirus has incarcerated the world. PM said, “It is posing a challenge to Knowledge, science, the rich and the poor, the strong and the weak alike. It is not confined to any nation's borders, nor does it make distinction of region or season.”
The Prime Minister called for humankind to rise unitedly in the resolve to exterminate it since this virus had obstinately picked up the gauntlet to annihilate the human race. He clarified that complying with the lockdown is not for helping others but a means to protect oneself. He urged the people to protect oneself and their family for the next many days and abide by the Lakshman Rekha.
The Prime Minister said that some people are violating the lockdown since they are not trying to understand the gravity of the matter. He appealed to them, to comply with the lockdown rule, or else it will be difficult to save ourselves from the scourge of the Coronavirus. Quoting an adage “Aarogyam Param Bhagyam, Swasthyam Sarwaarth Sadhanam” - which means good health is the greatest fortune, he stressed, Health is the only way to happiness in the world.
Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
National Credit Framework  released for public consultations
The Government has developed the National Credit Framework  to enable the integration of academic and vocational domains to ensure flexibility and mobility between the two. The National Credit Framework  is an inclusive umbrella Framework to seamlessly integrate the credits earned through school education, higher education, and vocational & skill education. Such integration enables numerous options for further progression of students and inter-mingling of school & higher education with vocational education & Experiential learning including relevant experience and professional levels acquired. The Framework has been released for public consultations on 19th October, 2022.
This information was given by the Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
COVID-19 UPDATE
172.81 cr vaccine doses have been administered so far under Nationwide Vaccination Drive
India's Active caseload currently stands at 5,37,045
Active cases stand at 1.26%
Recovery Rate currently at 97.55%
1,17,591 recoveries in the last 24 hours increases Total Recoveries to
4,15,85,711
44,877 new cases recorded in the last 24 hours
Daily positivity rate 
Weekly Positivity Rate 
75.07 cr Total Tests conducted so far; 14,15,279 tests conducted in the last 24 hours
NITI Aayog
Atal Innovation Mission Partners with MathWorks to strengthen the Deep-tech startup ecosystem of India
Atal Innovation Mission , NITI Aayog partners with MathWorks-the developer of mathematical computing software for scientists and engineers to strengthen the Deep-tech startup ecosystem of India.
Under this partnership, startups supported by AIM, will get access to steps of the art MathWorks tools , engineering support, online trainings, access to MATLAB community, and opportunities for developing awareness of the startup products through their domestic and global reach. The benefits are aimed at fostering innovation and accelerating product development at these early-stage companies.
MathWorks product portfolio includes the MATLAB technical computing platform and Simulink, a block diagram environment for simulation and Model-Based Design, in addition to 100+ toolboxes and specialized products.
These tools have been adopted by many industries across application areas including Smart electronic and engineering designs, manufacturing, electrification, simulation, wireless communications, etc. AIM and MathWorks plan to organize series of knowledge sharing sessions for incubators and startups to train and support them on various relevant topics.
AIM Mission Director Shri R. Ramanan said, “We are delighted to have MathWorks as our innovation partner. The incubators and startups are set to gain from this partnership as we leverage the technology and domain expertise of MathWorks especially in areas of technical computing, engineering design and AI based innovations. By forging these partnerships AIM continues to enhance the efficacy and sustainability of the startup world. We will also explore new areas of synergy in the Indian innovation ecosystem.
MathWorks India Country Manager – Sales & Service, Sunil Motwani also concurred. “We are proud to partner with AIM in this journey of supporting the entrepreneurial ecosystem in India. We look forward to extending our industry standard tools and expertise to startups at AIM located across the country.’
The announcement was made as a part of the virtual programme attended by officials of AIM, NITI Aayog, MathWorks, AIM supported startups, AIM supported incubators and mentors amongst others.
MathWorks is the leading developer of mathematical computing software. Engineers and scientists worldwide rely on these product families to accelerate the pace of discovery, innovation, and development in automotive, aerospace, electronics, renewable energy, financial services, biotech, and other industries. MathWorks supports over 3,000 startups and 300 Accelerators worldwide.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Vaccination is the most effective weapon to combat pandemic
Follow Covid Appropriate Behavior
Physicians say at a Webinar on “Covid Pandemic Waves and Need For Vaccination”
Kolkata, 15th June, 2021
Physicians have urged the common people not to take any decision regarding vaccination on their own but to follow the doctor’s advice to combat the Covid-19 pandemic at a webinar titled “Covid Pandemic Waves and Need for Vaccination” organized jointly by the Regional Outreach Bureau, Kolkata and Field Outreach Bureau, Chuchura today.
Inaugurating the Webinar, the Additional Director General of Press Information Bureau and Regional Outreach Bureau, Kolkata Ms. Jane Namchu briefly talked about the need for vaccination and its impact.
Addressing the webinar Dr. Runa Bal, Professor, NRS Medical College and Hospital said that recurring waves in pandemic is a normal phenomena and hence there will be third wave in India also but there is nothing to get worried about it if everybody follows covid appropriate behavior and takes vaccine when his turns come. Referring to various ill-conceived notions on taking vaccine Dr, Bal repeatedly made it clear that vaccine can be a true game changer and hence it is every ones responsibility to follow government’s guidelines on vaccination. She said even after having both the doses of vaccine one has to follow the protocol of wearing mask, washing hands, using sanitizer, maintaining distances and avoid crowded area as much as possible.
Dr. S.M. Naser, HOD, Department of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology, School of Tropical Medicine, Kolkata and Nodal Officer Covid Vaccination Centre, STM said that vaccine should be administered to everyone except persons with pre-history of serious allergy related complaints. He recommended vaccination for the lactating mothers. In reply to a question Dr. Naser said that research is still on regarding the length of the protection from a covid-19 vaccine lasts. He advised to get vaccine after ninety days from the date of getting infected with Covid-19 as that will act as an immunity trigger. In reply to a question he categorically made it clear that a patient who is taking blood thinner or steroid should also take vaccine.
Ministry of Home Affairs
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DECIDES TO COMMEMORATE 26TH DECEMBER AS “VEER BAAL DIWAS”
The Government of India has decided to commemorate 26th December as “Veer Baal Diwas” in the honour of the supreme sacrifice made by Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh, the younger sons of the 10th Sikh Guru Govind Singh Ji, for their supreme and unparalleled sacrifice on 26th December, 1705 at the tender age of 9 and 6 years respectively to defend the dignity and honour of Sikhism.
This is a salute and a tribute of the grateful Nation and its People while celebrating the “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav” to the great valour and supreme sacrifice of Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh in their quest for justice.
NW/AY/RR
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Ministry of Power
NTPC commissions India’s first Air cooled condenser at North Karanpura Super Critical plant in Jharkhand
NTPC has commissioned India’s first Air cooled condenser installed Super Critical plant to demonstrate its Commitment towards water conservation through reduce, reuse and recycle.
NTPC, the country’s largest integrated energy utility, has started commercial operation of 1st Unit of 660 MW at North Karanpura , in Jharkhand on 01st March-2023.
This project has been envisaged with Air Cooled Condenser  which has almost 1/3rd water footprint as compared to a conventional Water Cooled Condenser . This would result in water saving of around 30.5 mcm annually thus fulfilling the needs of around 1.5 million people in the region annually.
NTPC has already taken a series of measures across its plant locations on sound water management. NTPC will further imbibe the 3 R’s  for water conservation and management while carrying out its core business activity of power generation. NTPC Ltd, is a signatory to the prestigious UN Global Compact’s CEO Water Mandate.
NTPC is committed to proactively address water sustainability issues through implementing Water Policy, which will serve as a directive for establishing water management strategies, systems, processes, practices and research initiatives.
The North Karanpura plant will have a total capacity of 1980 MW, 3 Units of 660 MW each. This plant is based on one of the Most efficient Supercritical Technology and being a pit head plant  will supply economical power to the states of Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, and Odisha.
NTPC has been at the forefront in leveraging technology and have pioneered adoption of new technologies in power sector. NTPC is currently meeting 24% of country’s demand through coal, gas, hydro, solar and wind plants.
Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs
MoH&UA to Organise consultative workshop with States & UTs on "Shehri Samridhi Utsav 2020"
Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Urban Livelihoods Mission  under Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs will be organising a consultative meeting at New Delhi on December 30, 2019 ; with all States and UTs to set out the framework for Shehri Samrddhi Utsav  2020. The workshop is going to discuss the learnings from the first edition of the SSU 2019 and chalk out the strategy and roadmap for the coming edition of SSU 2020, which will be organised from March 28 to April 12, 2020. The workshop will be attended by the officials from the State Urban Livelihoods Missions, State Skill Development Missions, and other partners besides the officials from Ministry. This is an effort at Co-creating action plan for SSU 2020 with states as an important process to ensure that the deliverables are realistic and inclusive.
The workshop will also take up the issue of skill development of urban beneficiaries in plumbing sector apart from detailed deliberations on the implementation of the Street Vendors’ Act. It is also planned to distribute Systematic Progressive Analytical Real Time Ranking  2018-19 awards to the winning States for their excellent performances in implementation of DAY-NULM during the FY 2018-19. Collaboration with e-Commerce portals for on boarding of high-quality products made by Self Help Groups  is also one of the items during SSU 2020. In addition to providing access to wider customer base to locally made products of SHGs, the initiative will also be useful in capacity building of the women entrepreneurs in the skills of branding, digital marketing and financial management.
Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs is promoting Shehri Samridhi Utsav as a platform of making a more significant, out of the ordinary impact in the lives of beneficiaries under DAY-NULM. The deliberations in the workshop is expected to bring out the best course of action from the state and other partners to organise the ensuing Shehri Samridhi Utsav to achieve the goals set out. The SSU 2019 succeeded in extending the outreach of the Mission to the most vulnerable sections of the urban population, showcasing its initiatives and facilitating access of Self-Help Group  members to the other government schemes by covering over 15.60 lakh members from urban SHGs.